


The Roads I Knew Became a City

by EpochDaw



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Multi, Red String of Fate, Slow Build, Soulmate AU, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-06-06 21:15:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6770185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EpochDaw/pseuds/EpochDaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“For the warning signs I've completely ignored.<br/>There's an amount to take, reasons to take more.<br/>It's no big surprise you turned out this way.”</p>
<p>(Tumblr prompt: The Red String of Fate exists, and only some people have the ability to see the strings. These people can cut strings and knot other people’s strings in to alter the soulmate laws.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Roads I Knew Became a City

Yaku pulls the laces of his shoe tight, looping them into a clean knot and then double knotting for precaution. He takes his time on the second one. Cross, under, bunny ears, twist and under. A familiar pattern that calms his racing heart. No matter how many matches they play (official or not) the excitement and anxiety still manages to get to him.

He stands up slow. His arm moves by itself; stretching up and up until there’s a pleasant tightness in his bicep, his other arm holding it right at the elbow. He counts to fifteen, glancing around the gym.

His teammates are stretching, chatting back and forth on the sidelines of the court, sending nervous smiles to each other. He sees strings of red attached to their pinkies, some vanishing as they traveled far into the distance, others tying to the person next to them.

His coach is talking with their opponent’s, all professional smiles and a strong handshake.

There’s a loud, familiar bang of a volleyball hitting the gym floor that catches Yaku’s attention. He sees the opposing team’s setter high-five the spiker, grinning deviously. Yaku’s taken-aback by the spiker’s horrendously messy black hair. He briefly wonders if it’s styled before being distracted by his coach’s whistle, immediately dropping his arms and jogging over to his team’s huddle.

The comforting tightness of his shoes melts away the knot of nerves that built up in his stomach. As Yaku listens to his coach his smile grows, his body tingling with excitement.

His team huddles together. Their captain gives them a short inspirational speech, and after replying with an energetic “Osu!” they jog to their positions. The court fills with their determination, and Yaku feels pins and needles prickle at the bare skin of his arms.

The referee holds his hand high.

_“Match, Start!”_

\---

They line up parallel to the other team. Comments of “Good game” are mumbled between them. Their coaches shake hands.

Yaku shakes the hand of the messy-haired spiker, smiling despite the irritation of having to look up. The spiker's face is pulled tight in the vexation of losing, the mumbled “Good game” dripping in venom. Yaku smiles politely, tightening his grip.

Despite the unattractive wrinkle of annoyance between his eyebrows, the spiker is rather good looking. Yaku feels his face heat up slightly. He’s thankful when the spiker lets go of his hand.

Their teams separate, packing their supplies to head out. The other team leaves first. Yaku watches them walk out, seeing a couple of shining red strings linger behind. Only when the door closes does Yaku notice the red string forming to his own pinky finger.

He wonders briefly who it connects to, only humoring the thought for a moment before tossing it to the recesses of his mind. No need to ponder over such trivial things.

\---

Yaku doesn’t see his red string again until his first day of high school. The red string, transparent and dull, loosely coils around his right pinky finger. Yaku wiggles it, watching the string sway with the movement.

While some red strings were formed from birth, others were created over time. He thinks of his father, stringless until two years after his divorce with Yaku’s mother. He remembers first seeing the faint red circling around his father’s pinky, watching as it grew solid and bright, connecting tightly to his now stepmother’s thin little finger.

Yaku eyes travel along the red string, wondering where it ends until it goes through the closed classroom door. _Someone from a different class, I guess._ He leans on the upturned palm of his hand, turning back to the teacher, focusing on the “First day” speech.

_Worry about it later,_ he tells himself.

\---

Yaku recognizes the messy haired spiker immediately. He feels his face flush a light pink before turning away, changing into practice clothes. He glances down at his pinky finger, sees how the red shines just a bit brighter, and his face pales instantly. It takes all the willpower he has not to choke on air. _It can’t be..._

The locker room feels small and confined despite there being only three people.

“I’m Kai Nobuyuki, from first year class five,” Kai greets with a pleasant smile. If he feels the tension in the air then he doesn’t show it. “Nice to meet you.”

“Class two, Kuroo Tetsurou,” the messy haired spiker ( _Kuroo_ ) states with the same venom he used months before. His glare makes Yaku’s fingers tingle.

Yaku raises an eyebrow, sweat form on the back of his neck. “I’m Yaku Morisuke, from class three.”

“I already know that.”

He feels Kuroo’s irritation like lightning in the air, goosebumps forming on his arms. His gaze is menacing, and the way he towers above Yaku rubs him the wrong way. Annoyance washes over him, and he meets Kuroo’s glare with his own, feigning forgetfulness as he asks if they’d met before.

Despite the growing tension, Kai grins at them.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I was planning to never again start a multi-chapter fic bc I never finish them lmao. But I mean?? KuroYaku is just??? so good??? 
> 
> Anyway, I can't promise steady updates. Sorry (= v ='')


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